England 2, Wales 0

ON an afternoon which started badly for Wales and got progressively worse, no one would dare to argue anything other than that England deservedly won Saturday's so-called Battle of Britain at Old Trafford.

ON an afternoon which started badly for Wales and got progressively worse, no one would dare to argue anything other than that England deservedly won Saturday's so-called Battle of Britain at Old Trafford.

At times, only goalkeeper Paul Jones stood between them and a triumph of embarrassing proportions but Sven-Goran Eriksson's men enjoyed all the luck that was going in confirming their status as favourites to top the World Cup Group Six qualifying campaign in 12 months' time..

And that's not making any excuses for Wales, who were second-best throughout, since the better side on the day invariably enjoys the run of the ball and makes its own luck.

But it was not of England's making that Mark Hughes saw his no doubt meticulous game-plan come apart at the seams when defender Andy Melville was injured during the pre-match warm-up.

The appearance of named substitute Jason Koumas in the line-ups as the national anthems were played was the first indication that something was amiss and the enforced late reshuffle at the back saw attacking midfielder Simon Davies instead deployed at right-back with Mark Delaney moving inside to compensate for the absence of the unfortunate West Ham defender.

Whether or not the switch contributed to England's early breakthrough after only three minutes is open to question but Jones, who went on to answer his critics with a superb display, later admitted even he was surprised by what had happened.

"With the way things are in the dressing room immediately before the game, I didn't really notice that Andy had been forced to drop out," he said. "He must have pulled a calf muscle or something but we had to change it very quickly and sort out one or two other things as well."

And as if Melville's injury was not enough of a major blow to Wales, the manner of England's opening goal certainly rubbed salt into the wound. Michael Owen, who had already had a shot blocked by Danny Gabbidon, lost out to Delaney whose toe-poked clearance fell perfectly for Frank Lampard.

But television replays later showed that the Chelsea midfielder's shot, which on another day would have provided a routine save for Jones, struck Owen's heel and was then further deflected past the keeper by Delaney's second challenge on the Real Madrid striker.

"The defensive changes we had to make didn't help us at all and the deflection off Mark was another disappointment," said Jones afterwards.

"But the early goal certainly settled England down nicely and then it was a case of backs-to-the-wall for us."

That was no under-statement as, one 60-yard run from Ryan Giggs apart, England systematically laid siege to the Wales goal in the opening 20 minutes. Solid at the back and methodical further forward, the home side's clinical and crisp passing through the middle of the pitch left Gary Speed, Jason Koumas and Mark Pembridge too often chasing shadows.

Without the ball Wales might have been expected to throw themselves into challenges but, for the most part, they looked leaden-footed and subdued. What possession they did have was frittered away as either Giggs was shepherded into wide areas or John Hartson found himself unable to hold it up long enough for the support to arrive.

Craig Bellamy was frequently a forlorn figure wide on the right, starved of service and always closely policed by Ashley Cole when he did get the ball at his feet, so it was left to Jones and the defenders in front of him to keep Wales in the game.

Delaney and Danny Gabbidon were tested to the limit as they tried to shackle the lively duo of Owen and Jermain Defoe while Wayne Rooney, in a more withdrawn role, was always looking for the ball and, when in possession, eager to run at the Welsh defence.

On nine minutes Jones made a comfortable save to hold David Beckham's free-kick and the Wolves' keeper made the first of a number of excellent stops two minutes later when he turned a typical Rooney effort on to a post and behind for a corner.

Defoe flashed a shot across the face of the goal before Jones again defied England and Owen, blocking the striker's close- range thrust with his legs. Delaney then came to the rescue when Rooney, taking advantage of a mix-up between Speed and Pembridge, burst forward but saw his well-struck attempt blocked by the Aston Villa man. Into the eye of the storm Wales briefly regained some composure, Speed advancing into the opposition penalty area to volley high and wide from Hartson's knock-down and only Rio Ferdinand's imposing presence came between a Bellamy cross and the head of Giggs.

But it was not until three minutes before the break that Paul Robinson was called upon to make a save - an easy one at that - when Speed was first to a Giggs free-kick and put a header on target.

Just how much Melville's injury had disrupted the Welsh tactical plan became clear after the break when Wales at least did their best to increase the tempo of their play and Davies assumed a more aggressive posture, occasionally running from deep with the ball to remind everyone of the the threat he might have posed in a more forward role.

But the visitors were unable to fan the spark into a flame and as the afternoon progressed their previously hyped potential match-winners all faded. Giggs became ever more frustrated, Hartson more lethargic and Bellamy, like an angry wasp, was darting everywhere but only rarely stinging to any meaningful effect.

England, though, remorselessly turned the screw and kept it simple, safe and direct. A superb run from Owen deserved a goal but was denied by the combined efforts of Delaney and Jones, Rooney selfishly went for glory from an angle impossible even for someone of his precocious talent and Beck-ham was thwarted by another fine save.

It was the England captain who finally put the outcome beyond doubt 14 minutes from time with an outrageous curling shot from 25 yards which flew into the top corner of the net, but he then sullied his fine performance with a nasty challenge on Ben Thatcher in retaliation for an earlier clash between the two protagonists.

The yellow card he was shown ruled him out of Wednesday's match in Azerbaijan even before the rib injury he brought upon himself in the only real moment of spite. Fortunately the incident was soon forgotten as Wales hero Jones crowned his magnificent display with another save to keep Owen waiting for his first goal of the campaign.

MUCH the busier of the two keepers, the Wolves veteran was overworked and under-protected. Made a finger-tip save from a Rooney drive and also blocked a Beckham effort at point-blank range. 8

SIMON DAVIES

SWITCHED to right-back at the last minute, the Spurs midfielder took until the second half to get into his stride. He then tried his best to made headway down England's exposed left flank. 6

BEN THATCHER

ENGLAND'S narrow midfield formation meant he was rarely in direct opposition to David Beckham - until the last quarter of the game when he was involved in a couple of nasty skirmishes with the England skipper. 5

DANNY GABIDDON

PROBABLY Wales' best outfield player, the Cardiff centre-back has never let his country down and once again played well in the face of intense pressure. A move to the Premiership beckons. 7

MARK DELANEY

ANOTHER member of the "over-worked and under-protected" club.. With England throwing numbers forward, the Aston Villa defender coped admirably after Andy Melville's last-minute injury meant he was asked to play in the heart of Wales' defence. 7

MARK PEMBRIDGE

BROUGHT in as a replacement for the suspended Robbie Savage, the Fulham man was charged with shackling Wayne Rooney. Sadly for Wales, he rarely got near the teenage wonderkid and was hauled off after the break. 4

GARY SPEED

AS always, the was no shortage of effort and commitment from the Wales skipper. Mustered his side's only two efforts on goal during the first-half but struggled to get to grips with the rampaging Lampard. 7

JASON KOUMAS

A FRUSTRATING afternoon for the West Brom playmaker. Showed some nice touches at times, but his crosses lacked penetration and he gave the ball away too often. 5

CRAIG BELLAMY

NEVER looks completely at home wide on the right, so why do managers insist on playing him there? His pace is his main asset, but he was unable to out-run the equally athletic Ashley Cole. 5

RYAN GIGGS

A MIXED afternoon for Wales' most gifted player. Got little change from Manchester United team-mate Gary Neville, and was pushed into a more central position after the break. 6

JOHN HARTSON

PLOUGHED a lonely furrow up front. Too isolated from Bellamy and Giggs to cause any real damage, his best hope of scoring looked to be from a set-piece. 6